Outsourcing

GP Outsourcing


 

Training outsourcing in partnership with Texas Instruments (TI)
 


Client Description

Texas Instruments designs and manufactures analogue, digital signal processing and DLP® chip technologies that help customers develop products that change peoples live. From affordable mobile phones that connect more people, to classroom projectors that support learning, to prosthetic devices that provide greater confidence, flexibility, and freedom – TI technology powers new ideas and inspires better solutions. For this reason Texas Instruments is constantly looking for ways to improve their productivity and enhance quality in every product they develop and manufacture or in any business relationship they are in.

Challenge

Texas Instruments is synonymous for ground breaking technology and breath-taking speed of innovation. The people at Texas Instruments need to be on the highest level of skills at any time and the programs need to be flexible and scalable to the volatile semiconductor business.

Solution

The partnership with General Physics offered the highest-level of experience and operational excellence in managing the learning  curricula. The partnership reflects the constant strive for world class quality.

Improvements with Texas Instruments

  • Vendor Management and contract review
  • Program and curriculum development and continuous review, e.g.
    • Implementation of project management curriculum
    • Successful benchmark and implementation of new vendors and trainers (i.e. for Cultural Awareness, Communication, Train the trainer, Language classes...)
    • Organisation and Moderation of seminars for new hired employees (Start and Orientation Seminars)
  • Deployment of new leadership programs including the administration of 360 Feedback Tools (e.g. Bigby, DDI)
  • Improvement of quality management:
    • Roll out of session evaluation survey tool (online, aligned European-wide) with good return rates
    • Implementation of process for quality control of training sessions (Customer service issue tickets)
  • Revision of Intranet page
  • Qualification tracking tool: Drive project for decision and implementation
  • Development of certifications (suggested e.g. for PM)
  • Quality audit support
  • Support ad-hoc programs
  • Maintain the level of service during up and downturns
  • GP as primary contact for all training related questions


“In General Physics, we have a partner with a wealth of experience and highly committed and professional people bringing professional learning services, creativity and innovation, and offers us long-term support. The partnership with General Physics supports our intent and ambitious growth plans. As a result, the learning managed service GP provides has been a success for TI.”

Hans Seitenberger, Manager Human Resources Training & Development at Texas Instruments, Germany


“With General Physics we have an in house partner that comes to us with ideas and pushes ahead with projects.”

Hans Seitenberger, Manager Human Resources Training & Development at Texas Instruments, Germany

 


 

Training outsourcing in partnership with CIGNA



Client Description

Headquartered in Philadelphia, CIGNA is one of the top health insurers in the United States.  CIGNA covers more than 11 million people with its various medical plans, which include PPO, HMO, point-of-service (POS), indemnity, and consumer-directed products. CIGNA also offers other health coverage in the form of dental, vision, pharmacy, and behavioral health plans; and it sells group accident, life, and disability insurance. 

Challenge

CIGNA University conducted an evaluation of their learning strategy and determined a change was needed in order to support the broader objectives of the company, by moving from a fixed staffing model to a variable staffing model for the development and delivery work streams. 

Solution

GP was selected to provide a wide range of outsourced learning services that include the following:

  • Learning management system (LMS) implementation. CIGNA had an existing LMS that was not meeting their needs. GP would replace the existing LMS with an industry leading LMS and commit to an extremely aggressive implementation date to launch the new LMS
     
  • LMS administration/call center/help desk. GP is currently providing LMS administration, call center and help desk services for over 26,000 users
     
  • Project management (PM) support of CIGNA’s development activities. GP assumed the responsibility of providing PM support for all development activities. Several CIGNA employees were transitioned to GP to support CIGNA’s development efforts
     
  • Development. GP is currently CIGNA’s primary training development partner. As a result of the partnership with GP, CIGNA’s ability to respond to the organization’s variable development needs has been improved
     
  • Delivery. GP assumed the responsibility of supporting all of CIGNA’s instructor-led training (ILT) delivery needs. CIGNA transitioned their trainers to GP and GP augmented that staff with additional resources to ensure CIGNA’s delivery needs will continue to be met
     
  • Vendor management services. CIGNA transitioned approximately 30 managed training vendors to GP. GP is now responsible for the day-to-day management of all of CIGNA’s training vendors

     

 

Training outsourcing in partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS)


Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) is a leading manufacturer of pharmaceutical, consumer, and nutritional products. The company’s business is global in scope, incorporates eight major divisions, and has operations in 62 countries. BMS employs over 30,000 individuals. It is a world leader in many markets in which it competes and is dedicated to preeminence and market leadership in its core pharmaceutical business.

Challenge

BMS, like the rest of the pharmaceutical industry, is facing major challenges in the business environment. Some of these include greater restrictions on access to physicians, increased pricing pressures from governments and stricter regulatory guidelines. BMS launched a Productivity Transformation initiative to enhance its competitiveness in order to address these challenges. The mission of the organisation is to provide innovative, high impact, cost effective learning solutions that meets the business need.

Solution

BMS began the change process starting with a group of internal learning professionals that support the direct business owners and working with GP to oversee content design and development projects across multiple business lines. These content and training services include:

  • Instructor-Led Training
  • Self-Paced Online Learning Modules
  • Simulations/Demonstrations
  • Games
  • Assessments
  • Quick Reference Cards/Guides/Job Aids
  • Animations (Flash)
  • Graphics
  • Voiceover Recordings
  • Translations

GP implements these content design and development support through the use of the Instructional Systems Design (ISD) methodology. These services support virtually all business lines within the BMS enterprise including new product marketing and sales, Human Resources, existing and in-development product (drug) lines, enterprise-wide application training, professional development, and technical courses. Beyond the content development, GP has also supported the launch of a new learning content management system and the integration of SharePoint portal strategies. GP’s robust Knowledge Management capabilities compliment the integration of GP’s services and technology with BMS technology and GP has enabled BMS to extend their knowledge management strategies further. This included a team of specialists who worked with BMS IT and Global Learning to craft a cutting edge infrastructure that will leverage content sharing and allow for increased collaboration across various teams and geographies.

Results

GP has substantially reduced BMS’s design and development costs. In addition, BMS remains pleased enough with our capabilities that our organisations are working to incorporate more global learning support services across the BMS enterprise in 2011.

Significant impacts through the GP partnership include:

  • Cost reductions per project through process improvement
  • Process optimisation for content design and development
  • Enterprise cost reductions through shift to project-based deployments
  • Increased learning project management and utilization of SharePoint tools
  • Leveraged use of new technologies via the LMS and LCMS initiatives
  • More consistent training content design and development interaction in the field
     

Specialty Automotive Manufacturer - Lean Implementation


Client Description

A manufacturing company that produces truck bodies, vans, and specialty limousines is a privately-held diversified manufacturing company with operating subsidiaries engaged in the production of commercial van bodies,
step-vans, funeral coaches, limousines, mid-sized buses, pick-up truck bed enclosures and tonneau covers, precision machined components and expandable foam plastics.

The Challenge

The Company has expanded through acquisition and internal growth to include plants across North America. The president turned to General Physics to design and develop a Lean Transformation to increase plant output while reducing costs. This transformation was to include development of a customized production system, based on the Toyota Production System.

The Solution

GP assisted 20 plants in their Lean Transformation by providing sensei-level consultant coaches and Lean implementers
skilled in training and application of the Toyota Production System in manufacturing and non-manufacturing environments.

This project has focused in three areas:

  • The production lines of critical plants
  • The order-entry and engineering processes
  • The management team

The production line subprojects began with a planning and alignment effort that included a Shikumi which means both current and future in Japanese and was refined over many years at the Toyota Supplier Support Center to provide:

  • Current state map
  • Kaizen “Star bursts” (improvement opportunities)
  • Future state map
  • Project plan to achieve the future state

The project plan also included education of the management team in Lean concepts and application, future state mapping, and high-level implementation planning. The project continued with implementation of the plan using a combination of training, coaching, and project support.

GP provided the following training modules:

  • Lean Overview and Simulation
  • Value Stream Mapping
  • Lean Production Systems
  • Standard Work
  • Standards for Supervisors
  • 5S and Visual Management
  • Continuous Flow Production
  • Heijunka (level loading)
  • SMED (single minute exchange of die – quick changeover)
  • Production Planning

Results

After the first nine months of the implementation, external auditors calculated the savings from this project to be over $10M with a return on investment (ROI) at 5.1. Within four months of beginning the project at the first key plant, the team reported the following results:

  • Throughput increase, 60%
  • Scrap rate reduction, 75%
  • Paint yield improvement, 20%
  • Manpower reduction, 20%
  • The plant eliminated a second shift of production while producing the same volume with fewer vehicles taken off line for rework

When seven plants came on line using a mix of full-time and part-time GP support, the improvements measured an additional $5.1M and a ROI of 4.9 over six months time. Plants that selected full-time GP support had a median ROI of 10 while those with part-time support had a reduced ROI of 1.2.
 

Chemical Manufacturer - Lean Management and Culture


Client Description

A global chemical company applying biotechnology, materials science, and synthetic fibers technologies to markets for products in agriculture and nutrition, coating, electronics, and performance materials.

The Challenge

The company had an active and well-supported Six Sigma program and a somewhat less deployed, but still corporately staffed, Reliability Excellence program. While both had produced impressive financial results from individual projects, product line managers wished to see more frontline-driven improvements and sustainment, and they wanted to improve frontline managers’ ability to handle issues and drive execution. Earlier initiatives focused on Six Sigma and Lean tool implementation. This initiative focused on culture change through the establishment of Lean Daily Management systems.

The Solution

The client, under guidance of a GP consultant, began a pilot initiative in mid-September 2007. The initiative was to achieve a frontline culture engaged in continuous improvement, schedule performance, problem surfacing and resolution, visual controls and management, and standard work in an operations-maintenance partnership. In order to establish Lean Daily Management and change frontline behaviors, several tools were implemented:

  • “Glass walls” – established to track visual metrics with operators and maintenance personnel on actual-to-goal production performance, control points, issues, resolution, responsibilities, operations and maintenance performance, and maintenance work orders (planned and emergency)
  • Quick problem solving – instituted for the front line
  • Key meeting protocols – set and practiced for shift crossover, daily production status, problem resolution, and weekly/monthly unit performance review
  • Product scheduling wheel – developed and applied to level the production schedule and improve project change planning and execution
  • Key manager floor walks and audits – instituted, coached, and evaluated
  • Standard work for managers – established roles and the process for managing and reinforcing each of the preceding tools

While some of these tools were used before, this time they were instituted as part of a Daily Management system with the help of a skilled GP consultant/teacher (an expert on the ways Toyota has used these tools) to observe, audit, and coach on their use and to push and to reinforce behaviors. In addition, GP arranged and facilitated a structured benchmarking visit to a business that accomplished a dramatic Lean transformation. The purpose of the visit was to have chemical company staff learn how to manage culture, communication, and support issues.

Results

The initiative has just been expanded to three additional project lines due to the initial success in increasing output through improved execution during equipment down days and adjustment to the daily production schedule. This accomplishment was realized due to changing behaviors taking hold at the front line. For example, when an equipment downtime event occurs, the issue, the time expected for startup, and the lead person are immediately noted on the glass wall. While this might seem a small accomplishment, it has improved operator-maintenance relations and ability to execute. Similar changes have occurred with planned and emergency work order execution, daily production scheduling, and other core operating practices.